Under-eye darkness is something that many of us struggle with. That darkness is caused by dark tissues and blood vessels showing through the skin. It’s made worse by insufficient sleep, but some are prone to darkness in the under-eye area no matter how much sleep they get. There are many eye creams that claim to reduce darkness, but so far I have not found any that are effective. 

Thanks to the wide world of makeup, there are various ways to neutralize under-eye darkness. For people that have very minimal darkness, foundation and/or concealer may be sufficient. My under-eye darkness is fairly minimal, but I often notice it still showing through after I’ve applied my foundation. The most common solution is to apply concealer in that area after foundation. That works very well for a lot of people.

Color-correcting under-eye darkness

Another solution for under-eye darkness is to use a color-corrector. Color-correctors can be used alone or under foundation and/or concealer. Instead of simply covering up under-eye darkness, color-correctors use color theory to counteract the darkness. Under-eye darkness looks different depending on skin tone. For lighter skin tones, darkness under the eyes usually appears blue. For deeper skin tones, under-eye darkness is a dark brown/blue color. The color of the darkness to be “corrected” or “camouflaged,” as well as skin tone, should be taken into consideration when determining the correct shade of the color-corrector.

Color-correctors for under-eye darkness usually come in shades of peach or orange. For fair to light skin tones, a pinky-peach (salmon) shade works because shades of orange cancel out the blue, while a bit of pink brightens. For medium to deep skin tones, a warm peach or apricot shade works best. It’s important to use warm shades specifically for under-eye darkness on deeper skin tones, because cool tones will appear ashy.

How does color-correction work? The basic idea is that you find the color you want to camouflage on the color wheel and use the color directly opposite to “correct” it. You will find that orange is directly opposite blue on the color wheel, so that is why it is so effective at camouflaging that color.

Since I have fair skin with blue under-eye darkness, that pinky-peach color I mentioned before works best for me. The one I use is Pixi By Petra Correction Concentrate in the shade Brightening Peach. Read on for more details. 😉

Product claims directly from PixiBeauty.com

Highly pigmented, this correction concealer instantly erases darkness, softens and blurs lines. Skin immediately looks fresh, rested, bright and youthful. This ultimate ‘good night’s sleep in a jar’ camouflage cream is correction perfection in a pot.

Disclosure: IntegriBeauty includes affiliate links within product review posts. I receive commissions for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. IntegriBeauty is independently owned and all products discussed within IntegriBeauty product review posts are thoroughly tested and given honest reviews.

Other product details

• Price: $12.00
• Net weight: 0.1 oz.
• Cruelty-free
• 2 shades available: 
  • Brightening Peach (pinky-peach shade for fair to light skin tones)
  • Awakening Apricot (deeper tan/orange shade for medium to deep skin tones)–only available at PixiBeauty.com
• Paraben-free
• Special ingredients
  • Rosehip Extract improves skin elasticity
  • Vitamin A provides an anti-aging effect
  • Vitamin C brightens & revitalizes
  • Vitamin E moisturizes
• Where to buy: PixiBeauty.com
• Overall rating: 9.4/10
  • Inclusivity: 8/10
  • Ease of application: 10/10
  • Pigmentation: 10/10
  • Team player: 9/10
  • Price: 10/10

Please note that I am not a makeup artist. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, as a regular person that loves makeup.

Inclusivity

When I bought this color-corrector in the Brightening Peach shade, I didn’t know there was a second shade option. I was so happy to see Awakening Apricot on PixiBeauty.com! Unfortunately, it looks like that is the only place it can be purchased right now. BUT, it is great that Pixi chose to offer both lighter and darker shade options.

I took two points from this category because I think Pixi should add at least a couple more shade options. The two shades they have now will probably work for most people, but they definitely won’t work for everyone. I am primarily thinking about people with very deep skin tones. Awakening Apricot would be too light for them. This is a common problem with color-correctors across other brands as well, but that isn’t a good excuse!

Ease of application

This color-corrector is packaged in a glass jar. I don’t usually like that type of packaging for most products, but for this one it is perfect! That’s because I think this corrector is applied best with a fingertip and it’s easy to reach in and get the right amount. 

The warmth of your hands helps the product to sink into the skin. A brush can also be used to apply this product, but it looks more natural applied with a fingertip. If you want a very targeted application, you could use a brush to apply, and a finger to blend it out. I love how easy this product is to use!

Pigmentation

This color-corrector is very thick and highly pigmented. It is aptly named as a “correction concentrate.” High pigmentation in this type of product is a great thing because that means you only need a tiny amount to fully neutralize all under-eye darkness. You want to use as little as possible, especially if you plan to layer foundation and/or concealer on top.

I am so pleased with the results I get from this product. The shade and level of pigmentation make it very effective at camouflaging my under-eye darkness. I did a side-by-side comparison photo to illustrate. I was still pretty tired when I took this photo as you can tell! I can see a big difference between the eye with this corrector applied and the one without any product applied. My under-eye darkness isn’t nearly as intense as what a lot of people have, but I hope you can see the difference!

Team player

This product is designed to work in conjunction with foundation and concealer. It works very well with other coverage products as long as it is used sparingly. It is very important to use no more than the amount you need to cancel out any darkness. 

When I apply a bit too much, it is visible underneath my foundation and sometimes looks cakey. That makes me feel bad about the whole makeup look. For best results, I focus application on the corner of my eye where I have the most darkness and tap lightly to blend outward from there. When I apply the product that way, foundation applies very well on top. I don’t need to apply both color-corrector and concealer, so I can’t say how well foundation AND concealer would apply layered over this product. I imagine it would look good as long as you’re careful not to use too much product in that area.

Price

When I first purchased this color-corrector, I wasn’t very happy to pay $12.00 for such a tiny jar of product…especially because Pixi is a “drugstore-ish” brand. That was before I tried it! I can’t remember when I first bought this, but it has lasted me over a year because I need so little product. I’m very pleased to say that the formula hasn’t changed during that time either!

I’ve tried a couple of other color-correctors out of curiosity and neither of them could compete with this one. They didn’t have the level of pigmentation this one has, first off. One of them was greasy and completely ineffective. The other was too dry and made my under-eye area look very aged.

This product is well worth the price! 🙂

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I think Pixi By Petra Correction Concentrate is an exceptional product! Petra, the owner of Pixi by Petra, should give herself a big pat on the back for this color-corrector. Now if she would add a couple more shades, more people could enjoy it.

This product does a great job of neutralizing under-eye darkness, but it can be used on any part of the face that has darkness. I have a small dark spot on my cheekbone and this product works just as well there as it does on my under-eye area!

I’d highly recommend this color-corrector to anyone experiencing under-eye darkness (or any other kind of unwanted darkness). I believe it would work well on any skin type. It’s emollient enough for dry skin, without looking greasy on combination or oily skin types!

Have you tried this or any other type of color-corrector? There are several types of color-correcting products out there and I’d love to hear about some of your experiences.

Lauren